


Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

by Scotty1609



Series: Stony, But With Kids [3]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Avengers Family, Avengers Feels, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Canonical Character Death, Child Death, Dad Steve Rogers, Established Relationship, Established Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Family Angst, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Hurt Steve Rogers, Kid Fic, M/M, Morgan Stark is actually Morgan Potts, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Pre-Bucky Barnes/Sam Wilson, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers-centric, Temporary Character Death, dad tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-01-10 21:08:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18415877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scotty1609/pseuds/Scotty1609
Summary: "You should have gone for the head...""D-Dad... I don't feel so good-""I’m not half as good at anything as I am when I’m doing it next to you."___________Steve and Tony go through the events of Infinity War and Endgame married and with kids.





	1. The Snap

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooooooo I was feeling really depressed so of course I wallowed in self-pity and wrote an angsty AF fic about Steve and Peggy and the Stark-Rogers family....
> 
> WARNINGS: Infinity War Spoilers, Major Character Deaths (temporary???), Lots of Feels, Panic Attacks

“ _You should have gone for the head._ ”

Steve didn't know how much those words would change his life.

“Steve...?”

Whirling on his heel, turning away from Thanos and Thor, Steve was stricken by the voice of his best friend. Bucky looked confused. Steve watched, completely and utterly helpless, as Bucky reached for him and _fell_. Steve was about to dart forward and grab him, but Bucky's body was suddenly just... _gone_. Ashes floated up into the air, and Steve felt his heart lurch.

“P-Papa?”

_Oh God, **no**._

She wasn't supposed to be here. She was supposed to be back at the palace, hidden away behind the strongest doors and highest towers of Wakanda. But, even before Steve turned to look, he _knew_. He felt it in his gut, in his chest, in his very _being_. But that didn't stop him from whirling around and lunging for his daughter.

Peggy's eyes were so wide, so _terrified_. She reached a shaky hand towards her father, and Steve let out a distraught cry as he saw the ashes of her skin fading up and away, twirling into the air. “Pa-Papa-” Peggy gasped out.

And then she was gone.

Steve came to a skidding halt where Peggy had once stood, his hands out as if to grab his daughter, to pull her to his chest and just _hold her_.

But she was _gone_.

A wretched noise ripped from his chest, not a gasp and not a cry, but an unfiltered _wail_.

“P-Peggy-” Steve gasped out, unable to breathe. “Oh God, oh _God_ \- B-Buck- Peggy- _Peggy_ -”

His hands were shaking as he collapsed to his knees, eyes wide yet unseeing as he stared at the ground. His heart didn't drop to his stomach, and tears didn't come to his eyes. His chest was so tight, so _frozen_ , that he couldn't move or breathe or _think_.

Peggy.

His daughter.

His _baby girl_.

A rapid-fire assault of memories filtered through his mind unbidden.

_Going to the hospital. Holding the squalling baby for the first time. Watching her learn to crawl, learn to walk. Making her sit in time-out, making her go to her room, hugging her in the aftermath and wiping away her tears. Screaming at Strange when they found out he had been teaching her magic. Hugging and kissing away her nightmares._

_Watching her fade into nothing before his eyes._

“Oh, _God_ ,” he heard Natasha gasp out.

“They're- they're _gone_ ,” Bruce's voice quivered.

Steve didn't know how long they all stayed there, the silence echoing around them. Soon enough, the sound of Steve's heart beating in his ears, the sound of blood pumping through his veins, became deafening.

_He wanted it to **stop**_.

A hand, shaking and gentle, touched his shoulder. Steve didn't even jump. He was too numb.

“Steve...” Natasha tried to croon his name, but it came out as more of a whispered sob. “We- we need to-” He could hear her take a rasping breath, holding it for a moment before exhaling and steadying herself. “We need to regroup. Get back to the Compound and contact the others.”

The others.

And oh, God- _Tony._

Tony had been at work- had been _safe_ \- but Steve hadn't been able to contact him when they all raced to Wakanda. He assumed that Tony had run off to the school to get-

Peter.

_Peter_.

Steve's breath was hitching now, on the verge of panic as it threatened to push him over that cliff.

Peggy. Peter. Tony. Bucky.

Their faces were seared into his mind, staining his vision until all he could see was them- was his _family._

And oh God.... _what if Thanos had gotten Tony and Peter too?_

“Steve- _breathe_. Fuck, just- just breathe- _Bruce_! Bruce, get over here-”

Bruce seemed to be faring a little better than the others- only a little. He seemed just as in shock as them, but still managed to limp over to where Steve had collapsed, Natasha holding the soldier's shoulders in a vice.

“Cap,” Bruce rasped, “I need you to breathe with me, okay? We're gonna inhale for four, hold for four, and breathe out for six. Okay? Just- breathe in with me.” Steve choked on air, gasping for breath as his eyes shut against the outside world. “Okay, good, that's- that's good. Now, hold. And exhale. Exhale. _Exhale_ \- Steve! Steve, breathe- shit, _breathe_!”

Black spots appeared in his vision.

And Steve's mind went blank.

 

 


	2. The Snap, pII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dad?”  
> A heavy sense of dread filled Tony's chest, and he whipped his head around to see his son stumbling towards him. No, not Peter. Not my baby boy. No, no, no-  
> Peter's arms were wrapped tightly around his chest, as though he were cold, or as though he was trying to hold himself together.  
> “I- I don't feel so good-”
> 
> ____________________
> 
> Infinity War and the Snap from a father's- Tony Stark's- point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the last chapter, the Endgame chapter, written. And I've reordered the chapters to have this one as the second and the previous one (Tony and Steve meeting back up) as chapter 3.
> 
> I wasn't planning on writing Tony and Peter's scene, but somebody convinced me... This was very, very painful. hahahAHAHA i'm dying inside.
> 
> WARNING: IW spoilers? Character Death? No ENDGAME spoilers until the next chapter...

The sword sliding into his torso didn't hurt as bad as hearing his son scream out, _“DAD!”_

Tony grunted, falling to one knee as Thanos dug the blade in further. It sliced through his armor like butter, and his flesh surely didn't leave any resistence, either. Tony grunted, grabbing Thanos's wrist and looking up at the titan with surprise.

“You have my respect, Stark,” Thanos murmured as he met Tony's eyes. “When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive...” The titan pulled back, looking almost sorry as he watched Tony fall to his knees. “I hope they remember you.”

Everything else was a bit of a blur, save for Dr. Strange _handing over the stone_.

“Don't-” Tony gasped out, to no avail.

Strange handed the stone over, and Tony felt a wave of defeat wash over him. He watched helplessly as Thanos's fist clenched, a wave of power washing over his body.

“One to go...” he murmured.

Tony used nanites to sew up the aching stab wound in his side, watching as Quill tried in vain to grab Thanos. Blue smoke appeared behind Thanos, and he disappeared.

Tony's eyes fell closed, weariness filling his bones when he heard Quill cry out, “Where'd he go?! Did- Did we just _lose_?”

A rush of defeat ran through Tony's body, and he wearily turned to Strange. “Why did you do that?” he whispered out. Now there was only one stone left. If Thanos got to Vision... If he got the last stone...

Tony didn't even want to imagine it.

Strange's voice didn't waver when he said, “We're in the endgame now.”

“DAD!” Peter shouted, his mask torn off and face contorted in worry. “Oh my _God_ , Dad, he stabbed you! Dad, he _threw a moon at you_!”

“I know, Pete,” Tony groaned out, raising an arm so Peter could help him stand. “I was there.”

Everyone stood, Peter supporting his father and Quill holding Mantis in his arms. It was only then that Mantis looked to the sky and whimpered, “Something's happening...”

Tony stepped forward, away from his son, and watched in horror as Mantis disappeared in a wave of ashes. The man continued to watch, in utter shock, as Drax faded away as well. Tony turned to Quill, taking a quick step forward, and commanded, “Steady, Quill.”

Quill sighed out a short, “Aw, _man..._ ” before he leaned back into the air and was turned to dust.

“Tony...”

Strange's voice had Tony turning to look at him, his heart growing heavy. “There was no other way,” Strange rasped out, shaking his head slightly, before he too faded to ashes right before Tony's eyes.

“Dad?”

A heavy sense of dread filled Tony's chest, and he whipped his head around to see his son stumbling towards him. _No, not Peter. Not my baby boy. No, no, no-_

Peter's arms were wrapped tightly around his chest, as though he were cold, or as though he was _trying to hold himself together_.

“I- I don't feel so good-” Peter choked out, raising his hands to look at them. His gaze, wet with tears, lifted to look at his father.

“You're alright,” Tony said immediately, as though he could speak it into existence.

“I- I don't know what's happening-” Peter rambled out, tripping over himself as he scurried over towards his father. Tony was approaching him just as rapidly, and the two met in the middle in a pile of limbs. Tony's arms wrapped around his son, supporting the young man as Peter fell to his knees. “D-Dad-” Peter sobbed, wrapping his arms around his father's back. “I don't wanna go, Dad, I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go-” Peter repeated the mantra as Tony helped him to lie back against the dusty ground of the god-forsaken planet they'd been dragged to.

The planet he'd _dragged his son to_.

Tony's throat was raw, his mouth dry and eyes wet, when his son stared up at him and whimpered, “I'm sorry, Dad...”

_I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry..._

_**Dad...** _

And then, Peter's eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he too was gone. Tony's hand rammed into the rock from where it had been pressed against his son's chest, gripping tight to his suit in a silent plead.

A million thoughts were racing through Tony's head as he sat up to stare down at his shaking hands.

_Meeting Peter at the orphanage. Bringing the boy home. Peter's first day at school. His first sleepover with Ned. When he had to have his wisdom teeth removed and was doped up on painkillers. Finding out his son had been masquerading as Spider-man for the past several months. The fight that ensued, followed by tears and hugs._

_Watching him fade to dust._

“He did it...” Nebula's hiss rang out from behind Tony.

Tony lifted a shaking, bloody hand to his mouth, covering it up as his thoughts continued to race.

 _The fight with Steve over Bucky. The separation that took a toll on Peter and Peggy both. Getting back together, renewing their vows with Peggy and Peter watching on happily, and_ \- oh _God_ , Tony thought- _Steve and Peggy._ What if- what if they- What if _all_ of them...

Tony couldn't finish the thought, his eyes falling shut as if to push away the nightmares. He felt like a little child again... If he couldn't see the bad things, then they weren't happening.

And Tony waited. He waited and waited. Waited for something to happen, for Nebula to speak again, for _his son to come back to him_...

But _nothing happened_.

They were gone.

_They were all gone._

_All of them._

_**I don't feel so good...** _

Silently, sitting drawn in on himself in the dust of Titan, Tony sobbed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahAHAHAHAHA im dead.


	3. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world had moved on. It had been two years. Two whole years of going to support groups, knocking the hell out of punching bags, getting closer to Natasha and Rhodey... And the whole while, even going to group and listening to his team- his friends- Steve pushed down the pain. He pushed it down, locked it tightly in a box and sent it to the back of his mind.
> 
> Because he would kill himself if he didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!!!!!!!!!!!!((NO Endgame spoilers in this chapter; it was written before I saw Endgame))!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> So here, have a Stony reunion with sappy shit and Stony being angsty about their dead children.
> 
> WARNINGS: suicidal thoughts (as shown in summary), PTSD

Steve listened to Rhodey get mad, listened to Carol's calm response, listened to the sound of Stormbreaker flying across the room shortly followed by Thor's compliment. The whole while, his eyes were locked on the hologram of Earth, rotating slowly on its axis. The world had moved on. It had been two years. Two whole years of going to support groups, knocking the hell out of punching bags, getting closer to Natasha and Rhodey... And the whole while, even going to group and listening to his team- his _friends_ \- Steve pushed down the pain. He pushed it down, locked it tightly in a box and sent it to the back of his mind.

Because he would kill himself if he didn't.

His husband, his son, his daughter... All gone. All dead, dusted by the mere snap of Thanos's fingers.

“ _You should have gone for the head.”_

Something in Rhodey's voice- the desperation, the anger- and something in Carol's words- her determination, her strength- and then Thor, blessed Thor- with his light spattering of humor among the darkness...

Steve steeled himself, clenching his jaw. He glanced up at his team and realized they were all looking at him. Waiting for a response. Because he was still their team leader, no matter what kind of hell Thanos had wrought upon them.

Steve took in a deep breath.

“Let's go get this son of a bitch.”

Carol and Thor grinned, and Natasha smiled faintly. Clint nodded, and there was the same resolution in his eyes that Steve felt in his chest. One by one, everyone gave their assent. And then, just as Carol opened her mouth- likely to start brainstorming a game-plan- an alert popped up on the map in front of Steve. He frowned at the red dot, confusion coloring his features.

It was Rhodey who said, “Someone's trying to break up our little party.”

“Then let's go greet them,” Carol declared.

“Suit up,” Steve ordered, grabbing his own shield. Red, white, and blue stared up at him, and Steve had to swallow down the painful memories the shield brought. When he and Tony had made up after their fight about the Accords and Bucky, Tony had returned the shield to his husband.

“ _I think this belongs to you,”_ Tony had told him with a smirk.

“ _No,”_ Steve had responded confidently. _“This is yours. But I'm happy to hold onto it for you.”_

It was Carol who charged ahead of the group, her fists blazing as she threw open the front doors of the Compound. Steve was shortly after her, and everyone else quickly gathered in the entryway. A spaceship, all battered silver and blue lights, was hovering a few feet above the grassy field.

“On my mark,” Steve commanded. Slowly, he crept past Carol and towards the ship with his shield raised. Rhodey was on his left, Thor and Carol on his right, and everyone else followed behind.

Then, the bay doors to the ship opened, and a ramp fell to the ground. Everyone tensed, readying themselves for the oncoming fight.

And then a familiar figure stumbled out.

Steve was frozen, disbelief washing over him colder than any Arctic ice water could.

When Rhodey's voice met his ears, gasping out, “Tones?”, a switch buried deep in the back of Steve's mind flipped.

And then he dropped his shield and sprinted towards his husband. Distantly, he realized Rhodey was running right behind him, but all Steve could think about was _Tony Tony Tony_. The mere seconds it took to cross the field to his husband felt like hours, and as soon as Steve came to a screeching halt in front of Tony, he froze again.

Tony looked _terrible_. Emaciated, dirty, scars littering his face and arms. His clothes were torn, and his cheeks were gaunt. The bags under his eyes looked more like bruises, and his eyes themselves... They were empty. Dead. Tony was a ghost of his former self, and it _terrified_ Steve.

“Tony...?” Steve rasped, his throat suddenly dry. “Tony, where- what-” The soldier shook his head, then reached out and gripped his husband's shoulders, pulling the other man into a firm embrace. Cautious of Tony's weakened state, Steve burrowed his face in the crook of Tony's neck, one of his hands going up to thread through the man's hair. It was longer and dirtier, greasy to the touch.

It felt magnificent.

“Tony,” Steve began again, voice breaking on a sob. “Tony, are you- are you okay? What the hell happened?” Steve pulled back, his arms still wrapped around Tony's torso, to look into Tony's eyes- _his cold, dead eyes-_ and softly asked him again, “Are you okay?”

Tony was quiet for a long while. His hands, shaking terribly, raised up to touch Steve's arms. He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. When Tony tried to speak, only a low, dry gasp came out.

“Water,” Rhodey was suddenly at the couple's side, his hand resting on Tony's back. “Someone get the man some fucking water.”

Someone raced back into the Compound and emerged minutes later with a bottle of water. Uncapping it, they thrust it at Steve, who forced his hands to be steady as he helped his husband sip. Tony's eyes fluttered, an involuntary groan coming from his throat. After a few moments, Steve pulled the bottle back. “You'll make yourself sick,” he worried, brushing a hand down Tony's oil-stained cheek. “Let's get inside-”

“I'm sorry.”

Tony's voice sounded even more horrible than he looked, as though it hadn't been used for the entire two years he had been missing- the entire two years Steve had thought he was _dead_. His throat was dry, but his eyes were wet. He gasped out the phrase again: “I'm sorry, Steve, I'm so fucking sorry-” a sob welled in the man's throat, cutting him off.

“No, Tony, no-” Steve hushed his husband, kissing Tony's forehead. “It's not your fault. It's nobody's fault but that purple bastard's-”

“Peter's dead.”

It was sad that the statement didn't take Steve by surprise. After two years, he had lost hope in finding his husband and son. Hell, he had lost his best friend and daughter already- they had turned into ashes right before his eyes. And there had been no sign on Earth of Tony or Peter, so Steve had... all but given up. It sounded terrible now, with his husband in his arms- malnourished and broken, but _safe-_ though Steve couldn't help but feel some kind of... _relief_.

He wouldn't have to grieve his children alone now.

“I know, Tony,” Steve whispered as Tony's shoulders shook with dry sobs. “I know...”

“Let's get him inside,” Rhodey said softly, his voice drenched in sorrow.

They managed to limp back into the Compound, Steve nearly carrying Tony inside. Vaguely, Steve noticed a blue-skinned woman dragging behind them, assisted by Natasha. Carol got inside first- she seemed to be the kind to rush in to things head-first- and pulled over a lounge chair. Steve helped Tony to sit and crouched in front of the man, holding one of Tony's hands in both of his. Bruce went to the med-bay to grab a first aid kit, ordering Thor to grab blankets for Tony and the blue woman. Clint dipped out and then reappeared with more water and a few granola bars, but Steve highly doubted Tony would be eating any time soon.

Steve wasn't sure what to ask, what to say, how to console his husband.

But then Tony spoke for him.

The engineer's eyes seemed to clear up from their deathly glaze when he realized they were sitting inside the Compound. His head swiveled as he searched the room for-

Steve's heart dropped.

“Where- Where is she?” Tony gasped out. “Steve, where is- where is Peggy? Where's my baby? Where is she, Steve, _where is she-_ ”

“Gone.” The word was poison on Steve's tongue, bile rising in his throat as the words he had fought against for so long lifted from his lips. “She's gone, Tony.”

“Oh _God_ ,” Tony sobbed, leaning in to hide his face in Steve's shoulder. “Oh God, _no_. Peter- Peggy- oh _fuck-_ Steve, _Steve-_ ”

Steve felt the tears coming on, and he was helpless to stop them. His arms wrapped around his husband once more, and this time he held Tony in a vice. Like his life depended on it.

Because it _did_.

“-kids, our kids- _fuck_ , Steve, our fucking _babies-_ ”

Thor rested a blanket over Tony's shoulders, his expression somber. Steve couldn't even raise his head to thank the god, but Thor seemed to understand. Rhodey came to sit on the arm of the chair, his hand rubbing circles into Tony's bony spine.

A strong voice called out, “We're getting them back.”

Steve's head popped up, his wet eyes staring at Carol. The woman's calm demeanor was gone, her eyes fiery with the fury of a thousand suns as she stared at the grieving couple in front of her. She nodded as though to reaffirm her statement. “We'll get them back- _all_ of them.”

Tony's head lifted from Steve's shoulder weakly, but he didn't turn to look at Carol. “How?” he asked. “How the hell are we bringing back the dead?”

“With the Infinity Stones.”

Tony barked out a defeated laugh, shaking his head. He then turned to Carol, any confusion he may have about the woman's identity was momentarily forgotten in his stupor. “And how the fuck do you suppose we get them?”

It was Rhodey who spoke next, his hand clamping down on his friend's shoulder. “We kick Thanos's wrinkly ass to kingdom-fucking-come.”

“Tony,” Steve spoke more confidently, his voice unerring as he drew his husband to face him. One hand went to cup Tony's jaw, the other gripping the man's own shaking hand in a vice. “We can do this. We owe it to them- to Peter, to Peggy, Bucky, Sam, Wanda- to everyone else who isn't here.”

“We can do this,” Natasha spoke up. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her face was resolute. “Together. As a team.”

For a minute, Tony was silent. He mulled over everyone's words, his chin dipping down to stare at Steve's fingers interlocked with his. And then, Tony's face tilted up, and his once-dead eyes were blazing even stronger than Carol's had been. There was no force of suns behind his eyes, only a fearsome vengeance and undying love of a father present in his gaze.

“We're getting them back,” he told the room at large. “We're getting our fucking families back, no 'die-trying' or 'doing our best'. We're bringing back my goddamn kids.”

Steve couldn't help the choked laugh that ripped from his chest. He leaned forward, resting his forehead against Tony's, staring deeply into Tony's dark, flaming eyes.

“We're bringing them back,” Steve promised. “Whatever it takes.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw Endgame last night and it slaughtered my soul.... I haven't decided if I'm going to do THINGS with this fic in regards to Endgame, but there will definitely be spoilers about Endgame in general....
> 
> So.... yeah.


	4. The Endgame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "On your left."  
> ...  
> "I am inevitable."  
> ...  
> "I... am.... Iron Man."  
> ...  
> "I'm not half as good at anything as I am when I'm doing it next to you."  
> ...  
> "THAT'S America's ass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, really fought myself on how to close out this fic... I hope I did it justice!!
> 
> ALSO! PLEASE send me writing prompts!!
> 
> WARNINGS: Infinity War/Endgame Spoilers

“ _On your left.”_

Steve's head whirled to see a neon orange circle, with sparks flying, open up in the middle of the battlefield. He felt his heart thudding harshly behind his sternum when he saw T'Challa emerge with Shuri and Okoye, all of them battle ready.

It had worked.

_It had worked_.

Portals began opening up all around, dozens of them with hundreds of heroes pouring out to meet Thanos's army. Steve choked when he saw his son swing out of a portal with the rest of Rocket's crew, flipping onto his feet with narrowed eye-lenses. Peter glanced up, saw his father, and _waved_. And then Steve noticed Peggy behind Okoye and Shuri, the girl grinning from ear to ear as she powered up magic runes around her wrists.

_His children were alive_.

Steve felt his heart pumping into his throat when he turned back to Thanos. He could feel his children creeping up on his left, could see his husband hovering to his right. Steve wanted nothing more in that moment than to scoop up Peter and Peggy and Tony and rush them all away from the battle and to the safety of the Mansion-

But he figured they'd all have a bit much to say about that.

So instead, Steve turned to face Thanos head-on, squaring his shoulders, Mjolner in one hand and his shield in the other.

And he cried, “AVENGERS!” Feeling eyes boring into him, boring into the enemy army, boring into Thanos himself, Steve pulled together every ounce of strength and righteous fury he could into his next word:

“ _Assemble_.”

 

…

 

“ _I am inevitable.”_

Steve wanted to scream when he saw Thanos with the gauntlet. His mouth opened, his hand reaching out, but nothing more than a gasp emerged from his lips.

And Thanos snapped.

Steve waited, watched around himself, to see the battle still raging. His brows furrowed in a confused relief- why hadn't it worked? Why was everyone still there? And where the _fuck_ was his family?

Then Steve saw him: Tony.

His husband.

_With the Infinity Stones._

Steve watched, in awe, as the stones moved by themselves onto Tony's hand, a myriad of lightning and color lighting up the man's arm. Steve was immobilized by fear and awe, afraid of what he would see next, but unable to look awake.

“I... am... _Iron Man_.”

Tony snapped.

And _hell_ , watching Thanos fade into ashes was therapeutic. Cathartic. Better than any group therapy session could ever have been. Steve stared at Thanos until every last particle of the tyrant had been swept away by the wind.

Then he heard his son sobbing.

“Dad- Dad, don't go. We won! Dad, we- we _won..._ Dad- _Dad_!”

Peggy's frantic voice joined in Peter's distress. “Dad! Daddy, _please_ \- Dad- we love you, we love you, don't leave us-”

Steve turned, feeling his heart drop into his stomach, when he saw them all.

Pepper, donning her Iron Woman armor, and Rhodey, in his War Machine suit, were standing above where Peggy and Peter were sprawled out in front of Tony. Peter had an arm wrapped around Peggy, holding her tight to his chest, as the girl's hands held onto Tony's face.

“ _No_ ,” Steve croaked out, feeling one of his knees give way. He scrambled over to his family, and Pepper pulled Peter back while Rhodey grabbed Peggy tight to his chest. “Tony?” Steve croaked as he sat in front of his husband, one hand on Tony's pulse and the other on his burnt cheek. “Tony, _Tony_ -” Steve bit off his next words when he saw the look in his husband's eyes.

Tony was _afraid_.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but only a dry gasp came out. Steve shushed him, leaning in to kiss his forehead. Pulling back, Steve stared into Tony's eyes, pouring out all of the love he felt for his husband, his children, his team, _his family_.

He wouldn't let his husband die scared.

“We're gonna be okay, Tony,” Steve told him. His hand stroked a tear away from Tony's cheek. “We're going to be okay... You can rest now, Tony... You can rest.”

Steve could hear his children sobbing as he watched the life leave his husband's eyes.

 

…

 

“ _I’m not half as good at anything as I am when I’m doing it next to you.”_

The sentence- the one that Tony had uttered to Steve at their wedding, the ending to his vows- had been engraved around Tony's first arc reactor. It was something Tony had said to his husband, but Steve felt that it was more appropriate for _Tony_.

All Steve had wanted since day one of moving in with Tony was to be worthy of the man's love. He worked and fought and sweat to earn it. And he _had_. He _had_ gained Tony's love, for more than twenty years. They had gotten married, raised a son, renewed their vows, raised a daughter, and over those years they had built a team and- more importantly- a _family_.

And now part of their family was gone, ripped away far too soon.

Tony had been _good_. Sure, he was an asshole at times, but his charm more than made up for it. Not to mention his genius, his respect for his teammates, his love for his family...

It was too much.

_It was all too much._

Steve stood and watched by the edge of the water as the wreath of flowers surrounding the arc reactor floated away. His breath hitched when he felt Peggy lean into his side, grabbing onto his suit jacket and sobbing quietly into his chest. Peter's hand encircled his father's, holding on tightly as the young man cried silent tears of his own. Steve raised a hand to Peggy's head, stroking her hair, and used his grip on Peter's hand to tug his son into an embrace.

And there they stood, the remaining members of the Stark-Rogers family, until every other hero had filtered out. No words were exchanged, only solemn looks and nods. Everyone understood. It had been a necessary sacrifice.

Steve only wished that _he_ could have been the one to commit to that sacrifice. He was flawed, was broken, was half the man his husband had been. If he could have been the one to wield the gauntlet, to destroy Thanos and save their family...

But then again... Steve would never have been able to do it, to wield the gauntlet. He wasn't strong enough, wasn't brave enough, _wasn't_ _good_ _enough_... He would _never_ be as good as Tony.

_Not Tony_.

“P-Papa?”

It broke Steve's heart to hear his daughter call him that. Peggy had moved on to calling him 'Pops' like Peter had, and the last time Steve heard her call him 'Papa' had been nearly seven years ago, back before she disappeared into thin air...

“Papa,” Peggy repeated, sniffling into his chest, “what do we do now?”

A lump grew in Steve's throat, because _he didn't know_.

A steady hand rested on Steve's shoulder, and he turned red-rimmed eyes to see Rhodey looking at him. The older man's eyes were bloodshot too, and he looked more sorrowful than Steve had ever seen him.

“He left something,” Rhodey said quietly, “a message. In case something were to go wrong... Tony always wanted to have the last word.” The joke fell flat when Rhodey was unable to make himself smile.

Unable to speak, Steve nodded, and allowed himself and his children to be shepherded into the cabin by Rhodey.

Pepper and Happy were already inside, baby Morgan sitting in her mother's lap and looking around with a toothy smile. It made Steve want to laugh and cry at the same time. Such youth, such innocence, such _happiness_ , despite the horrible times that were about them.

Then again, they had won.

_But at what cost?_

The message from Tony was filmed via his Iron Man helmet. Steve sat pressed between Peter and Peggy on the couch as Tony addressed each and every one of his family members individually: Happy, Pepper, Rhodey, Peter, Peggy... And then the hologram said his name.

“ _Steve,”_ Tony's voice rang out, and Steve felt the walls around his heart begin to crack. _“Babe. Wing-head. Love of my life... get your head out of your ass.”_ Steve's eyes went wide when the hologram of his husband grinned. _“I love you, you self-deprecating tool, and if you think for one second that my death is your fault, then I'm going to whoop your ass when you join me in the afterlife.”_ Steve couldn't help the croak of laughter that burst from his throat. The tears in his eyes began to boil over, and hologram Tony continued to speak. _“Know this, Mr. Stark-Rogers. Whatever happened to me was not your fault, and I don't blame you, so you shouldn't blame yourself... Besides, I need you to square up and take care of our kiddos, right? And the team..._

“ _They need you now more than ever, Steve. All of them. Bruce, Clint, Thor, Natasha-”_ Steve's heart clenched at the woman's name, _“-Sam, Bucky... And Peter and Peggy. They **need** you. So, whatever hair-brained scheme you have to come and see me, stop it before it starts. Because I can wait... but they can't.” _Hologram Tony sighed, shaking his head. Then, he smiled. It was such a gentle, private smile, and despite all of the other people in the room, Steve felt like it was just him and his husband there. Together.

“ _I get to see Mom again... and Mama Rogers, which will be a thrill, not to mention Aunt Peggy and Jarvis... But I can wait. I can wait for you- and I'd **better** wait for you. At least another thirty years. You have to watch our grandkids grow up for me._

“ _I love you, babe. And that's the truth.”_

The hologram flicked off, and Steve felt Peggy lean more into his side. Peter's hand hadn't stopped clenching tight to his father's since the outdoor ceremony. Slowly, Steve wrapped either of his arms around his children, pulling them in tight to his body. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and let it out shakily.

“I love you, too, shell-head.”

 

…

 

“ _No.”_

Bucky's response was emphatic, and it made Steve sigh heavily.

“Buck, I need to do this-”

It was Bruce who spoke up next. “I'm actually with the Sergeant on this one,” he told Steve. “You have too much to lose, Cap.”

“ _Someone_ has to do it,” Steve objected, feeling a bubbling anger rising in his gut. “And _everyone_ here has something to lose. Buck has the kids and the team, Scott has his daughter and Hope, Carol has Brunhilde...” Steve sighed once more, shaking his head. “I'm trying to do good by everyone here-”

“Except for your children,” Bucky ground out.

Steve's eyes blazed. “ _Don't_ tell me how to parent my kids, Buck-”

“Well _tough shit_ , Rogers, because I'm _gonna_ ,” Bucky snarled back. “Sure, _sure_ , everyone else has their own shit, but _you_? Your kids just lost their only other parent, and you really wanna risk your ass trying to go back in time to put some fucking rocks back in their places?”

Bruce cleared his throat. “Guys, I know this isn't a great situation, but we have to think about the multiverse! We need to decide who-”

“ _Not you_ ,” Bucky ground out, fists clenching at his sides as he glared at his best friend. “Stevie, I know you're hurting, but this isn't the way to-”

“I'll do it.”

All three men stopped, turning their heads to stare at the newcomer. Sam stood there, hands shoved in his pockets casually as though he hadn't just announced he was willing to go back in time with the most dangerous objects in history. “I haven't got kids or a significant other here,” Sam began to speak, holding up a hand when Steve went to object, “ _but_ I've still got enough ties here to bring me back. The VA, Falcon, my team... _you guys_.” Sam nodded and then reiterated, “Yeah, I'm gonna do it.”

“Sam-” Steve began to object, only to have his friend cut him off.

“Sorry, Cap, but I'm not gonna let you risk your children's lives over some sense of obligation you have.” A grin broke out on Sam's face. “Besides, I didn't get a chance to time-travel earlier. It's only fair I get to now.”

Steve's jaw clenched as he thought it over. Sure, he felt a sense of responsibility over the stones, but... his friends had a point. Peter and Peggy may have been grown up now, but they still needed their father... And Tony had made Steve promise to be there for their grandkids anyways. So if something went wrong and Steve was unable to do that...

Slowly, Steve nodded his assent. “You'd better bring your ass back, though,” he ordered Sam, whose grin spread even further. “Also...” Steve turned to grab his shield off the ground- once again whole after Peter and Shuri had refurbished it- then handed it over to Sam.

The man's eyes went wide when he realized what Steve was offering him. “Steve, I can't... This belongs to _you_.”

“No,” Steve said readily. “This belonged to my husband... and since he's not here to give it to you, _I'm_ giving it to you. Because you deserve it. You're ready for it. I'm... no longer able to carry it myself,” Steve admitted, shrugging in faux indifference. “I can't. Because I know it would do more good with somebody else. With _you_ , Sam.”

Bucky and Bruce watched the scene with bated breaths, glancing at one another as Sam stared at the shield. After several long, tense moments, Sam's shocked face turned to an easy smile. “I don't know if I'm worthy of it,” he said slowly, taking the shield from Steve and placing it on his arm. “But I think I'm ready to try to be.”

“You are already, even if you don't see it,” Steve told his friend honestly. “And you'd better come back to us anyways, Wilson, or I'll come after your ass.”

“Seconded,” Bucky piped in with a smirk. He smacked a hand on Sam's back, urging him towards the machine Bruce had set up in the middle of the forest. “Come back to us, Sam, or I'll have to be all heroic and run in after you... Now get on with it, _Captain America_...”

Sam's chest picked up again with the name, and he turned to smile at his friends. “I'm gonna need a suit first.”

“Oh trust me,” Steve chuckled back, “we've got a suit for you...”

Playfully, Bucky craned his neck to leer at Sam's rear end. “Oh yeah, _that's_ America's ass.”

Sam was blushing and bristling when Bruce started up the machine, and then the man disappeared. As Bruce was counting down the seconds to Sam's return, Steve leaned in close to Bucky. “What was _that_ all about, Barnes?” he elbowed his friend.

Bucky's cheeks turned pink. “Dunno what you're talkin' about, punk.”

“ _ **That's**_ _America's ass_?”

“Oh, _shove it_ , Stevie.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....I killed Tony aGAIN IM SORRY DX
> 
> But Sam/Bucky is a thing now!!! They're adorbs and I can't wait for the Falcon&WinterSoldier show!! :D
> 
> ALSO! The whole "I'm not as half as good at anything..." quote is a real marvel comic quote from Steve & Tony ((pls dont ask me for a reference bc I first saw it on tumblr, not actually WHILE I was reading comics)), so I just HAD to include it at Tony's funeral. Sorry/notsorry.
> 
> I'm thinking about writing a fic with Rhodey and Bucky babysitting their godkids (because of course Peter and Peggy are their godkids), but if you have any ideas then pLEASE LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENT SECTION! :D I LOVE GETTING WRITING PROMPTS!!

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry/Not Sorry *shrugs*
> 
> This was meant to be an angsty drabble/one-off, but if you guys wanna see Dad!Tony and Spider!Son on Titan, with the whole Peter getting dusted but a bit more... dramatic and family-based?? then let me know!! Also, if you wanna see Stony reunion & Avengers!Fam & and Peggy&Peter's returns.... maybe I'll do that? It might be fun :D  
> For now, though, I'm calling this fic 'finished' because IDK if I'll come back to it or not...........
> 
> But.... yeah........  
> .........sorry.


End file.
